A California school teacher has been accused of racism and put on leave following a viral video posted to Instagram.
The video, shared by historian and foster youth advocate Akalei Brown, shows the teacher donning an appropriative headdress made of paper and dancing around the classroom, "war hooping and tomahawk chopping."
The video was taken on Wednesday by a Native American student at John W. North High School in Riverside who "felt that violence was being committed against him" by his teacher's inappropriate actions.
Through her post, Brown called to end abuse and discrimination against indigenous youth in schools, stating that there is "no excuse for this type of behavior." Riverside Unified School District revealed on Thursday that the teacher has been placed on leave while the district conducts an investigation.
"These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices," RUSD said in a statement, promising to work with the community to regain their trust.
Individuals on social media are calling for the district to hire more diverse educators and administrators and to permanently fire the teacher.
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